B1.3 The use and abuse of drugs

Question 1

What do drugs change?

Answer 1

Your body chemistry

Question 2

What do changes in the body chemistry as a result of taking drugs lead to?

Answer 2

Becoming addicted to the drug

Question 3

What can addicts suffer if they do not take the drug?

Answer 3

Withdrawal symptoms

Question 4

What are the three types of drugs?

Answer 4

Medicinal, Recreational and Performance-Enhancing

Question 5

What are medicinal drugs?

Answer 5

Medicinally useful, e.g. antibiotics. For some a prescription is needed (e.g. morphine) but others not (e.g. paracetamol)

Question 6

What are recreational drugs used for?

Answer 6

Fun. These can be both legal (e.g. alcohol) or illegal (e.g. cannabis)

Question 7

What do performance-enhancing drugs do?

Answer 7

Improve a person’s performance in sport

Question 8

Name two types of performance enhancing drugs

Answer 8

Anabolic steroids and stimulants

Question 9

What do anabolic steroids do?

Answer 9

Increase muscle size

Question 10

What do stimulants do?

Answer 10

Increase heart rate

Question 11

What are the rules surrounding performance-enhancing drugs?

Answer 11

Some are illegal, some are prescription only, however all are banned by sporting bodies

Question 12

What is a negative health effect of steroids?

Answer 12

High blood pressurre

Question 13

What are the ethical arguments for performance enhancing drugs?

Answer 13

1. Athletes can make their own decisions about whether the drug is worth the risk or not
2. Drug-free is sport is no more fair, some athletes have access to better training facilities, coaches, equipment etc

Question 14

What are the ethical arguments against performance-enhancing drugs?

Answer 14

1. it is unfair if people gain an advantage by taking the drugs
2. Athletes may not have been informed of the serious health risks of the drugs they take

Question 15

What are statins?

Answer 15

Prescribed drugs that lower the risk of heart and circulatory disease

Question 16

What is there evidence of that statins lower?

Answer 16

Blood cholesterol and significantly lower the risk of heart disease in diabetic patients

Question 17

What is the first stage of drug testing?

Answer 17

Drugs are tested on human cells and tissues

Question 18

What is the second stage of drug testing?

Answer 18

Drugs are tested on live animals to find out about its toxicity and the best dosage

Question 19

What is the third stage of drug testing?

Answer 19

If successful with animals, the drug is tested on human volunteers in a clinical trial

Question 20

What is the fourth stage of drug testing?

Answer 20

The drug is tested on healthy volunteers, to test for side effects. A low dosage given at the start which is gradually increased

Question 21

What is the fifth stage of drug testing?

Answer 21

The drug is tested on patients who have the illness. The optimum dosage is found, the one most effective with the least side effects

Question 22

What is the sixth stage of drug testing?

Answer 22

the patients are put into two groups. One is given the drug and the other a placebo. So that the actual difference the drug makes can be seen, it allows for placebo effect

Question 23

What is a placebo?

Answer 23

A substance that is like the drug being tested but doesn’t do anything

Question 24

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 24

When the patient expects the treatment to work and so feels better, even though the treatment isn’t doing anythign

Question 25

What are clinical trails?

Answer 25

Blind, the patient doesn’t know whether they get the placebo or real drug

Question 26

What is a double blind clinical trial?

Answer 26

Neither the doctor nor the patient knows which is the drug or the placebo

Question 27

What do new drugs have to go through before being released for use?

Answer 27

Rigorous testing and clinical trials to ensure there a re no unexpected side effects etc

Question 28

What was Thalidomide intended as?

Answer 28

A sleeping pill

Question 29

What was Thalidomide found to also be effective against shortly after?

Answer 29

Morning sickness

Question 30

What side effects did thalidomide cause when used as a morning sickness pill?

Answer 30

Abnormal limb development and severe limb abnormalities of the fetus

Question 31

Why were these side effects not detected?

Answer 31

The drug had not been tested for morning sickness as it hadn’t been tested on pregnant women or for effects on the fetuses

Question 32

What happened to thalidomide after the side effects were discovered?

Answer 32

It was banned and went under more rigorous testing procedures which were brought in as a result

Question 33

What has Thalidomide now been discovered to treat?

Answer 33

Leprosy and other diseases

Question 34

What are heroin and cocaine?

Answer 34

Addictive

Question 35

What is cannabis?

Answer 35

Illegal, the chemicals in cannabis smoke can cause mental health problems in some

Question 36

What can the misuse of illegal substances such as ecstasy, heroin and cannabis lead to?

Answer 36

Heart and circularatory problems

Question 37

The overall impact of legal drugs is much greater than…

Answer 37

The impact of illegal drugs because far more people use them

Question 38

What do some consider cannabis as?

Answer 38

A gateway drug

Question 39

What are the negative effects of smoking?

Answer 39

1. Disease of the heart, blood vessels and the lungs
2. Cancer
3. Nicotine is addictive so it is hard to stop smoking

Question 40

What are the negative effects of alcohol?

Answer 40

1. It affects the nervous system and slows down the bodies reactions
2. Causes impaired judgement, poor coordination and unconsciousness
3. Liver disease and brain damage
4. It is addictive

Question 41

What affects on the economy do many legal drugs have?

Answer 41

High costs due to crime, there are lost working days as a result often, the NHS spend a huge amount of money treating diseases as a result of these drugs

Question 42

What other effects do legal drugs have on society?

Answer 42

They cause sorrow and anguish to people affected by them, directly and indirectly